Lukashenko confirms readiness to allow Ukrainians to gather mushrooms and berries in Belarus border areas

The head of state said he recently instructed border guards together with local authorities in the Gomel and Brest regions to work out options for Ukrainians to visit long-known locations on Belarusian territory.

"The Ukrainian border population (residents of territories bordering Belarus. - Belta's note) always came to our territory to gather mushrooms and berries. Even before the war. They earned $5-6 thousand. Just to survive. Was life easy in Ukraine before the war? Very hard. We opened the road for them," the President said.

He emphasized that even under current conditions Belarus is ready to open the same points: "So that Ukrainians can come to us as usual, to the swamps, everywhere (they know these places better than us), gather wild forest products and sell them. We understand that it's difficult there."

"If Ukrainian authorities (they are the ones banning it) abandon this policy and allow crossing into Belarus to gather mushrooms and berries, let them gather and sell. We are not afraid of this. We can monitor every person coming here with good intentions," Alexander Lukashenko stated.